My blog

My story

The fight has began. 2018 is gone. 2019 is here. The mission is clear. Work with what you've got. Make the best of what you've been given. Make a strong stand. Rise to the top.

What did you use your massive brain for today? Productivity or time wasting? Making peace or starting a fight? Creative writing or browsing social media? Income generation or binge TV watching? Income generation or binge newspaper reading? Making another plan or complaining? Taking responsibility or blaming someone? Positive actions or negative actions? Positive thoughts or negative thoughts? Build up or tear down? Etc.

Our brains are very powerful devices capable of creative thinking with brilliant and excellent potential within our grasp and yet we choose to do mind numbing activities with detrimental real life effects. We are poorer for it.

All the potential you could ever want is within that big wonderful brain of yours. Sure you need to develop it and sure success is not going to jump out of thin air right onto your lap just because of wishful thinking.

But you have the hardware. You have all the potential you could ever ask for. No, sorry you can't get a bigger brain. The main difference between someone that use their mental faculties to their full potential and the person who waste his/her brainpower on mindless, mind numbing, wasteful activities is this: The former made a concious decision to use his/her brain capacity wisely while the latter don't care because other things are more important.

In the end it comes down to a choice. Nobody blames you either way yet the choice you make ultimately shapes your income, happiness and results.

Regards

GF

On clarity and confidence The importance of clarity and confidence are underrated. It is very important to know who you are. It's also important to know what your strong points are and what you stand for.

If you are not sure about this, imagine what prospects must feel when you attempt to do business with them.

Always ask yourself if you will do business with someone that looks, talk and behave like you are?

First impressions are often the only impressions you may get.

How do you carry yourself? How do walk, literally? Your body language is very important. Do you move slow and slumped-over or do you move quickly and have your body in a straighten-out or upright position mostly, shoulders a little back?

How we feel and think about ourselves often are reflected in our body language and physical movements. Prospects pick up on that very quickly, you must realise that everybody has a ''BBD'', a Build-in BS detector. We all have a mechanism in us to avoid a scam, a failure or a risk. When a prospect is approached, be it when prospecting or in the sales process that prospect will always look for signs that say: ''Why should I not do business here?'' They look for reasons why not to trust you, they want to avoid risk.

Try to radiate confidence but don't be arrogant. Try to be humble but be sure of yourself. People want to feel save and want to trust you before they will move on to do business.

For the best results in sales have a humble but confident approach that inspires trust.

Regards

GF

Taking a break I took a week long break. I was just tired and not motivated to work. So I took a few days off. We had two excellent consecutive sales months. My stress levels was quite high because of the risk involved regarding potential cancellations. We made it past the stressful cool off period and we are grateful for it.

It was a well deserved break, we did some improvements in and around the house, spending on projects that fell behind.

It is sometimes good to step back and just taking it all in. I sometimes take a few days off just to motivate myself, to show myself that it is all worth it. I only take a break when I really need it.

One should not make taking a break a goal but one should sometimes take a break long enough to gather strength, get focused and get motivated.

When you are in a rat race, even if you win, at the end you are still a rat.

Sometimes we just have to stop and smell the flowers.

Life is too short. Take time to appreciate what you have. Appreciate your loved-ones. It does not always have to involve a lot of money. Just a day at the movies can be just what the doctor ordered. Treat the family to a nice lunch and have some fun.

Regards

GF

Recruite yourself back into the business This is a consistent principal I used over 24 years in sales. We all will go trough tough times. We all go trough emotional peaks and valleys in sales, even the best of us. The difference is that the best in the business have discover a way to handle adversity.

Adversity is not optional, it comes with the package. It's the gift wrap for a great opportunity. If something is too easy, if everyone can do it then it will not be rewarded or remunerated in an superb way.

This is one law of opportunity: In order for us to have an opportunity, it should be difficult, special, exceptional and requiring for participants to give their best.

Mediocrity would not suffice. Learn to forgive yourself quickly for slipping up. Begin again the soonest. Quick recoveries are key to longevity in sales.

Take stock. Stop the bus and see if you are going in the right direction. Self motivation is key. Become a be a ''self starter''.

Push yourself if need be. Get the ball rolling.

Count your blessings. See how far you made it by the grace of God.

Use a spreadsheet. Make a plan. Work out a potential income plan. Do your internet banking everyday yourself for motivation and focus. Honesty and clarity is very motivational if correctly applied. BS and confusion are never helpful. Take ownership of your opportunity. Own it. Make it part of your identity.

Then protect it. Guard your opportunity and integrity like sacred things. Nurture it. It may be all you have.

Use your God given talents and maximise it. Develop it. Increase it.

Speak life into into your life. Call the things that be not as thought they were.

''Pray like you are not gonna work. Then go and work like like you did not pray.''

''Know that this too shall pass'' and in the grand scheme of things what you become as a person is more important than what material things you acquire.

This means that you are here for a purpose and that you should work on yourself to become a better person. Use your opportunities and talents to benefit others too and on your way there you will make good for yourself too.

Regards

GF

Don't change the recipe Follow the recipe to the tee. If you don't follow the instructions, you can't blame your failure on the recipe.

Success is repeatable and so is failure. If you do what other successful people did before you, you will have similar results. The same applies to copying failures.

Don't tweak a recipe on day one. I have seen it where consultants on their first day in sales want to reinvent our system of marketing and selling by changing a few things. Disaster was the result every time.

If something work for you, stick to it. One sales pitch, one product, one opportunity is all you need. Do what made you successful in the first place. Repeat that recipe, stick to it.

Don't be too hard one yourself. Life has ups and down. If you have a flat line it means there is no life. You cannot be at your best every single moment, forever. Life does not work like that. Peaks and valleys. In the end it is all worth it if you persist and stick to your guns.

Rest when you must. Don't make rest a goal but rest long enough to gather strength to begin afresh.

Regards

GF

Never make a decision when you are on a low Never make a financial decision or career move when you are down.

This is because if you do you will make an emotional decision and the consequences could sometimes not be undone.

This one principal saved my career and financial life countless times in 24 years in sales. Rather do nothing, rather take a day off, take a week off but don't do something stupid that you will regret later.

I made this vow with myself decades ago to never make a career or financial decision when I am down. So I promised myself I will make such weighty decisions only when I am on a roll and things go well again. This forced me to become productive eventually, do what I should and before long be on track again.

And yes sometimes you need to talk hard with yourself. Sometimes you need to force yourself into action.

Funny enough then when things go well again, when I pulled my socks up so to speak, a career move or making debt does not come to mind so much. It does make one think doesn't it?

Regards

GF

If it's worth it, I will do it This is the saying I have lived my career life by. If the reward is there, I will do the work.

Find the right opportunity and dedicate your life to it. That is what I did. I worked for only two sales companies the past 24 years. The latest one I am with for 17 years. The reward is excellent and promotion is based on merit. The work is hard but do-able.

An opportunity is special when the reward is great and the work is of such a nature that it keep the outsiders out.

This means not everybody will do what I do. I am in direct selling and marketing, D2D. Some people will refuse to cold call, canvas or knock on doors. This fact and the fact that you have to be self-disciplined is what keeps the outsiders out. These are the reasons why I can have an opportunity and why I am rewarded well.

People don't want do what I do or they think they will not be able to do what I do. I think many people are able to do it, it's just a matter of them not being willing to pay the price I pay on a weekly basis.

What you put in is what you will get out. If the reward is there, I will do the work. I thank God for my opportunity, talents and gifts. It is all by the grace of God.

Regards GF

Don't fall for bullies Bullies in the sales world are common. Stand your ground, be assertive of yourself. Be sure who you are and what you stand for.

Never compromise your integrity. Never let anyone step on your integrity. Guard your integrity as a sacred thing.

I get mad to the point of being hyper if someone touch my integrity. You have one name. Protect that name and don't let a bully trample your good name if you are in the right.

I made a concious decision that I will take rejection and cancellations with a good attitude but once someone start bad mouthing my good name, speaking un-truths and generalising in a bad way, I stand up and make a strong stand.

I will never fall for a bully again, I face them head-on. There is a integrous way to do business, a civil way. Not everyone is going to be my customer and that's okay. I am always kind, friendly and civil. I am professional and I have the respect of my customers for 24 years.

I do not have another business. This is all I have and I will protect and care for it with all I have. I will not tolerate a fox in the hens nest.

Luckily those are few and far in between. I might be a baboon but I am an old baboon.

Regards

GF

Stay humble Know exactly what you have to do. Then do it. Know exactly who you are. Then be that person. Be consistently busy with the right things. Catch yourself out doing the right things. Stay humble. Never forget who you are.

Do the basics consistently. In the end you win. Stay hungry for success. Take action right now.

Delayed gratification is the key to success. Put off resting, leisure and spending. Sacrifice now. Sacrifice tomorrow and next week. And eventually you can have a bit of resting, leisure and spending.

Jump in. Embrace your opportunity. Own it. Don't go in have measure. Don't hold back. Go for it full blast. Go for it with everything you've got.

Regards GF